Leftover veg makes the perfect stir fry

Welcome to all about food. Time to make the most all the wonderful vegetables that are in season…

Welcome to all about food. Time to make the most all the wonderful vegetables that are in season…

Ask gingergirl

Dear gingergirl,

Have you any recipes for stir-fry dishes? I particularly enjoy lots of veg and I really like the flavour of honey in food.

Many thanks,

Renee Barrett via email

Hello Renee,

Stir-fries are great as they are quick to prepare, are a handy way to use up left over vegetables, can be very healthy and can be another sneaky way to get children to eat vegetables or bulk up your daily recommended intake. A few essentials ensure tasty stir- fries. Number one on the list is a good wok. When choosing a wok, look for a large one, it’s easier to cook a small amount in a large wok than a large amount in a small one.

Preparing the ingredients in advance is also necessary, when the cooking starts it goes fast so it’s best to have everything at hand. Finally, for best results, use oil with a high smoking point - oil that can stand a high heat before smoking and burning - vegetable oil or sunflower oil works best.

Honey & Chilli Chicken Stir-Fry

-1 tablespoon of vegetable oil

-400g chicken breast fillets, cut into strips

-1 red pepper, sliced lengthways

-1 yellow pepper, sliced lengthways

-6 spring onions, peeled and sliced

-1 cm piece of root ginger, finely shredded

-125g of rice noodles

-50g mange tout diagonally sliced

-1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped

-3 tablespoons of dark soy sauce

-2 tablespoons of clear honey

Heat the wok over a medium high heat, add the oil and swirl to ensure the oil coats the wok. Add the chicken and fry for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly. Add the peppers and stir for one minute. Add the spring onions and ginger and continue to stir, at this stage the chicken should be browning. In a separate bowl, place the noodles and cover with boiling water, leaving to soak. Add the mange tout to the wok and stir for another minute. Finally, add the chilli, soy sauce and honey and stir well. Drain the noodles and serve with the stir-fry.

And finally

Stir-fried broccoli with cashew nuts

A really tasty way to serve fresh broccoli is stir-fried with a little oyster sauce. Heat a wok over a medium high heat, add a handful of unsalted cashew nuts and toast until they are golden brown. Tip the nuts into a bowl and in the same wok add one tablespoon of sunflower oil.

When the oil is heated add one or two heads of broccoli cut into bite size florets. Stir-fry the broccoli for three to four minutes.

Pour three tablespoons of oyster sauce into the wok and stir for one minute before adding the cashew nuts.

Delicious!

Contact gingergirl

www.gingergirl.ie

email: helen@gingergirl.ie

Gingergirl aka Helen Keown is an artisan food producer who produces a range of handmade luxury jams, preserves and chutney’s made from local, seasonal or organic ingredients. Helen’s produce is available nationwide from independent food emporiums and is also available at selected food delis across Europe.

You can contact us using the details below:Limerick Leader,54 O'Connell Street,LimerickEmail: news@limerickleader.ieTelephone: 061 214500

This website and its associated newspaper are full participating members of the Press Council of Ireland and supports the Office of the Press Ombudsman. This scheme in addition to defending the freedom of the press, offers readers a quick, fair and free method of dealing with complaints that they may have in relation to articles that appear on our pages. To contact the Office of the Press Ombudsman go to www.pressombudsman.ie or www.presscouncil.ie Limerick Leader provides news, events, and sport features from the Limerick area. For the best up to date information relating to Limerick and the surrounding areas visit us at Limerick Leader regularly or bookmark this page.